Stop Funding Animal Cruelty
Are you Supporting Animal Cruelty Without Knowing it?
It is estimated that up to 500,000 animals suffer or die each year because of animal testing, according to Cruelty-Free International.
While New Zealand has banned animal testing for cosmetics, it is still common practice abroad. Many brands, including some of the world's most popular, still test their products on animals, and investigations show animals experiencing huge suffering as a result. Some companies argue that they only test on animals because it is a requirement in order for products in the Chinese market. Now, a growing number of companies have chosen not to sell products that require animal testing to China.
New Zealanders financially support foreign companies that test on animals through our investments. We invest $3.6 billion* in those companies - $2.4 billion through our KiwiSaver funds and $1.2 billion through retail investment funds.
Companies that continue to conduct animal testing, such as L'Oreal and Estee Lauder (which includes popular brands MAC, Clinique and Bobbi Brown), sell versions of their products in New Zealand that have not been tested on animals.
Want to stop funding animal cruelty?
Look for our Animal Cruelty Free badges on funds. These have met Mindful Money's robust criteria, and are proven to have less than 0.01% (one-hundredth of one percent) invested in companies that test non-pharmaceutical products on animals.
Currently, there is only one KiwiSaver fund provider in New Zealand that has an animal cruelty free badge.
Pathfinder Asset Management:
| Pathfinder Conservative Fund |
| Pathfinder Balanced Fund |
| Pathfinder Growth Fund |
If you care about animal cruelty, write to your fund manager asking them to put in place a policy not to invest in companies that test products on animals, use factory farming or export live animals.
* according to Mindful Money’s data analysis of data at 30 September 2021.
